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NHL Rumors Update
NHL Rumors Update for 05/22/2019
The latest NHL rumors from The Hockey Writers.
05/22/2019 edition:
By Jim Parsons on May 21, 2019 12:16 pm
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there is tons of speculation out of Nashville where only Pekka Rinne has a no-trade clause, there is buzz surrounding which teams might need a goaltender and speculated landing spots for Tampa Bay Lightning forward Ryan Callahan.
Predators to Make Changes
Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic writes that many are expecting changes out of Nashville where the Predators were disappointed in their season. LeBrun notes that comments from GM David Poile suggest some moves are on the horizon.
Poile said:
And I’m ready to go on for next year. I don’t know what’s going to happen exactly. Last year I pretty well said we weren’t going to make any changes. I’m not saying that this year. I’m also not saying we’re going to totally re-make our team. I’m just going to do my job, see who’s available, make some inquiries. If there’s opportunities to make our team better, I will do that. But certainly not in the mode of making a change for the sake of making a change.’’
Among the changes, speculation is the Preds will look for more secondary scoring, they could be interested in pending UFA center Matt Duchene, and there have been talks of trading P.K. Subban.
Duchene is believed to be interested in playing for the Predators and if so, the team would just need to make room. That could be by clearing out Kyle Turris. Other trade candidates might be Craig Smith, Mikael Granlund, or Nick Bonino.
Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal tweeted that Ryan Ellis seems the most logical Nashville D to get traded for a forward but his $6.25 million per season is a lot of money over eight years and at the pace of a 40-point guy, is that fair value?
If the Predators decide that moving Turris is the best play, they may need to include a draft pick or prospect to entice a team. Nashville does not want to retain salary and his trade value is lower right now. A buyout would cost them roughly $2 million a season for the next 10 years.
Teams that Need a Goalie
Luke Fox of Sportsnet lists the Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Edmonton Oilers, Chicago Blackhawks, Calgary Flames, Philadelphia Flyers, and New York Islanders as clubs that could use a goaltender for next season.
Fox suggests Petr Mrazek would be a goaltender to keep an eye on in free agency. That said, there is word the Hurricanes would like to keep him and lose Scott Darling.
The Blue Jackets will likely lose Sergei Bobrovsky, the Oilers need to bring in someone to support Mikko Koskinen, and the Blackhawks need a backup for Corey Crawford.
It is possible the Calgary Flames won’t bring back Mike Smith and it that’s the case, they’ll need some support for David Rittich similar to how the Flyers will need someone support for Carter Hart if Cam Talbot doesn’t return.
It is expected that the Islanders could need a replacement for Robin Lehner who might test free agency. That said, they are likely going to try and re-sign him.
Ryan Callahan’s Future Not Looking Good With Lightning
Knowing that, GM Julien BriseBois will likely have to make some cap room for the Tampa Bay Lightning, Tampa forward Ryan Callahan is aware of his chances of staying with the team aren’t great.
He told Joe Smith of The Athletic:
Obviously there’s a salary cap crunch, and it doesn’t take a scientist to figure out right now I’m on the outside looking in. Whatever happens, happens. But I was really happy with how I finished the year.
Smith lists the New Jersey Devils, Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, and New York Rangers as possible options.
The post NHL Rumors: Predators, Goaltenders, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
By Jim Parsons on May 20, 2019 01:07 pm
In today’s NHL rumor rundown there is an update on the status of Andre Burakovsky and the Washington Capitals, there are some quick hits on the Carolina Hurricanes and Jeff Skinner talks with the Buffalo Sabres seem to be going well. Will Erik Karlsson create free agency drama and will the Avs land a big fish over the summer?
Burakovsky Wants to Stay With Capitals
Talented but often under-producing forward Andre Burakovsky has said he’s like to stay with the Washington Capitals despite rumors the team might be trying to move him. A restricted free agent, Isabelle Khurshudyan of the Washington Post took a look at his situation.
Khurshudyan expects the Capitals will not issue a qualifying offer but will keep negotiating with Burakovsky. They’re hoping his desire not to leave the team will help them get a better deal than the $3.25 million offer they would have had to make. Burakovsky said:
I love Washington, I love my teammates, I love everyone around — everything, the organization. My goal is to stay, and hopefully, I will be able to.
Burakovsky is only 24 and has a lot of speculated upside but he recorded just 25 points in 76 games this past season. He’d had trouble finding his offense in the NHL and people are starting to wonder if he’ll ever live up to the billing that came with him as a highly-drafted player.
Hurricanes Quick Notes
The Fourth Period is reporting the Carolina Hurricanes would like to bring pending unrestricted free agent winger Justin Williams back and might offer a one-year deal.
They are also looking at buying out goaltender Scott Darling, have talked to pending UFA Micheal Ferland (who they don’t think will be back), and might be looking at a deal for RFA Sebastian Aho that is similar to Washington Capitals Evgeny Kuznetsov‘s deal of eight years at a $7.8 million cap hit.
Finally, there is some speculation the Hurricanes could revisit talks with the Toronto Maple Leafs and they had some interest in Nazem Kadri.
Skinner Talks Going Well in Buffalo
If you ask Buffalo Sabres GM Jason Botterill, negotiations be the team and forward Jeff Skinner are going great. Botterill was on WGR 550 in Buffalo earlier this week and said:
A contract is never done until you get it signed, but our discussions with Jeff have been extremely positive. I think it’s been a relationship that has worked out very well for the Buffalo Sabres, and I think it’s a relationship that has worked out very well for Jeff.
Erik Karlsson Situation To Be Tavares-Like
Chris Johnston said on Sportsnet 960, expect the free agency situation surrounding defenseman Erik Karlsson to be “this year’s John Tavares”. Johnston figures Karlsson could garner as much attention in this year’s free-agent window as Tavares did in last year’s and it put most of free agency on hold.
Johnston doubts Karlsson will re-sign with the Sharks and suggests the New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning as potential suitors.
One thing to watch is how much Karlsson’s injury history plays into what teams are willing to offer. He was speculated to get around what Drew Doughty got in LA, but injuries may worry team’s thinking about making that kind of commitment.
Avs and Free Agency
The Colorado Avalanche have a ton of room to add players in free agency, even after they sign Mikko Rantanen. According to Sportsnet’s Rory Boylen, Their targets may include, Mats Zuccarello, San Jose’s Gustav Nyquist, and the Islanders’ Anders Lee as possible UFA targets.
The post NHL Rumors: Burakovsky, Skinner, Hurricanes, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
By Jim Parsons on May 19, 2019 12:53 pm
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there are updates on the Dallas Stars and their priority being Mats Zuccarello, the Toronto Maple Leafs possible interest in Colin Miller, the Carolina Hurricanes goaltending dilemma and the Montreal Canadiens shopping list.
Stars Focus is Zuccarello
Mike Heika says he believes the Dallas Stars are focusing on pending UFA forward Mats Zuccarello and not to free agency. There was speculation the organization might look at players like Ryan Dzingel or trading for someone like Andre Burakovsky but they are going to go hard after Zuccarello first and worry about what comes next if they are unsuccessful.
The Stars aren’t looking to fill up their roster with big names either. They want to leave some positions open for younger players to earn a shot and feel like Zuccarello has been a great leader and mentor to young players, even in the short time he’s been a part of the organization.
Maple Leafs Interested in Colin Miller?
According to @Prospects_Watch, Bob McKenzie said on TSN 1050 that Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Colin Miller has fallen out of favor in Vegas and asks if the Maple Leafs might seize an opportunity?
Miller makes a little over $3 million per season and has multiple years left on his deal. In the right move where the Maple Leafs clear up some salary, Miller could be a less expensive top-six option. As McKenzie points out, Miller played for the Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds so Dubas would be very familiar with him.
Hurricanes to Buy Out Scott Darling
While they thought he might be the answer to their questions in goal, it appears the Carolina Hurricanes are ready to pull the plug on Scott Darling. David Pagnotta of the Fourth Period reports the Hurricanes intend to buy out the netminder when the buyout period opens.
If they do go this route, the buyout cap hit would break down as $1.233 million (2019-20), $2.333 million (2020-21), $1.183 million (2021-22) and $1.183 million (2022-23).
Because the Hurricanes will only have two goaltenders under contract if they buy out Darling, they’d need to sign another netminder right away to stay at the NHL’s minimum of three.
Canadiens Shopping for a Top-Four Defenseman
Eric Engels of Sportsnet reports the Montreal Canadiens are in the market for a top-four defenseman – one that is left-handed and can play on the power play.
Some of the early candidates are Jake Gardiner out of Toronto, Alex Edler from Vancouver, Shayne Gostisbere in Philadelphia and Mike Matheseon out of Florida.
Engels believes Gardiner is too costly at around $6 million on a long-term deal and Edler may be too old for a five or six-year contract at $5 million plus. The Canadiens may need to look at a trade which means Gostisbere and Matheson are more likely than the other two.
Other less costly trade options could include Calgary Flames T.J. Brodie, Ian Cole or Thomas Hickey.
Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette suggests the Canadiens could use a top-six forward and a top-four defenseman and that they have their eyes on Matt Duchene.
Hickey thinks they would have to offer up $8 to $9 million to land Duchene and that could be problematic considering Max Domi needs an extension next summer, while Brendan Gallagher, Phillip Danault and Tomas Tatar are UFAs after 2021.
Hickey said he would rather see the Canadiens spend money on an offer sheet. He explains:
There is one long-term, big-money deal that is worth pursuing and that involves an offer sheet for Mitch Marner, who is the Toronto’s Maple Leafs’ best player. Offer sheets are rare and GMs who offer them run the risk of upsetting their peers. But Bergevin noted in his season-ending address to the media that they represent an available tool and Marner is worth the shot.
The post NHL Rumors: Stars, Maple Leafs, Canadiens, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
By Joseph Aleong on May 19, 2019 08:35 am
The Pittsburgh Penguins had a down season by their standards, bowing out of the playoffs early after a four-game sweep at the hands of the New York Islanders. While some considered this a monumental upset, this season’s iteration of the Penguins was not quite the same force that won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017.
In TSN’s list of possible Trade Bait released on May 17, Phil Kessel was listed as the top offseason trade target in the league. On the surface, some may question the logic of Pittsburgh trading away their second-leading scorer from this season, especially one locked in at a bargain cap hit of $6.8 million.
However, as general manager Jim Rutherford mentioned in his end-of-season interview, “there could be big, big changes” to the team’s current roster. Jake Guentzel’s new long-term extension kicks in next season, and with just under $4 million in cap space as of now, the Penguins are without much room to maneuver or add to their roster without clearing some cap space. If the Penguins are actually looking to move their star winger, what teams could show the most interest in the 31-year-old all-star? And which teams could offer Pittsburgh the necessary return for Rutherford to pull the trigger on moving Kessel, a player who was so integral to the Penguins’ Stanley Cup runs?
Arizona Coyotes
One team that has previously shown interest is the Arizona Coyotes, who apparently had inquired on the American-born sniper earlier this season. At first glance, the move makes a lot of sense for the Coyotes, who have been starved for high-end offensive talent since before GM John Chayka took the reins in the summer of 2016. Rick Tocchet, the second-year coach of the Coyotes, previously had worked with the Penguins, helping them as an assistant coach in both of their Stanley Cup wins. Despite leaving the team in 2017, Tocchet still maintains a friendship with Kessel, who reportedly built a strong relationship with the coach while he was in Pittsburgh.
In addition, the Coyotes have an impressive stockpile of young players and cheap depth that could entice the Penguins to seriously consider moving Kessel to help shore up the rest of their roster.
For the Penguins, adding young talent close to making an impact in the NHL would be a key part of any return for Kessel. Barrett Hayton, the fifth-overall selection from 2018, could be a centrepiece in a Kessel deal after nearly doubling his scoring rate in an abbreviated OHL season. In addition, Rutherford has shown a willingness to target young NHLers rather than draft picks or prospects, giving his team cheap and effective depth right away. If the Penguins opt for this route, you can expect to see players such as Christian Fischer or Lawson Crouse mentioned as possible returns.
For the Coyotes, who haven’t made the playoffs since 2012, acquiring a player of Kessel’s caliber could finally push them back into the hunt in a competitive Western Conference. Arizona’s top scorer, Clayton Keller, led the team with just 47 points, taking a big step backwards from his Calder Trophy-nominated rookie campaign. Adding a scorer as proven as Kessel could push Keller to new heights next season, as well as provide a positive veteran presence in the relatively young Coyotes locker room.
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes are coming off their most successful season in a decade, as they advanced to the Eastern Conference Final. Despite their playoff run ending in a disappointing sweep to the Boston Bruins, the Hurricanes had just about a perfect start to the Rod Brind’Amour era. Key young players like Sebastian Aho and Jaccob Slavin made the leap to star status, and first-year GM Don Waddell was able to supplement his promising young core with additions such as Nino Niederreiter and Petr Mrazek.
Just three players on the roster finished with more than 50 points (four including Niederreiter’s season totals with Minnesota), highlighting their score-by-committee approach and need for game breaking talent in their forward group.
The Hurricanes have been kicking tires all over the league in their search for more reliable offense, most notably during William Nylander’s contract holdout earlier this season. If the Penguins are serious about moving Kessel, you can expect the Hurricanes to show some interest in the veteran winger.
From the Penguins’ point of view, the Hurricanes could be an ideal trade partner. With their stable of talented young defenseman and strong prospect pool, the Hurricanes could stand as good a chance as any team at landing Kessel if they were decidedly “all-in” on acquiring a star forward, as some suggested in their pursuit of Nylander.
Young defender Brett Pesce could be a primary target for Pittsburgh, as he would shore up the right side of the Penguins’ blue line and is locked in at an affordable rate of $4.025 million for the next five seasons. If Pesce isn’t made available as he reportedly was to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Carolina possesses a wealth of young talent for Pittsburgh to choose from. Even if Waddell scoffs at dealing budding power forward Andrei Svechnikov, former first-round draft choices Martin Necas and Jake Bean, who both excelled in the AHL this season, could be on Pittsburgh’s shortlist.
Carolina fans have plenty to be excited about, as their stockpile of young talent finally broke through in an impressive playoff run before bowing out to a deep and talented Boston team. Despite Aho’s pending salary increase, the Hurricanes have plenty of cap space to fit in Kessel’s $6.3 million cap hit. Carolina’s young defense group is arguably the best in the NHL, so adding a proven playoff performer like Kessel could push the Hurricanes towards contender status sooner rather than later.
Dallas Stars
The Stars could be a dark horse in the pursuit for Kessel, should the Penguins decide to trade him, as they struggled to score throughout the season and their lack of secondary scoring hurt them in a close series loss to the St. Louis Blues. Despite employing Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin, one of the most dangerous duos in the NHL, the Stars finished tied for the third-worst mark in the league with just 209 goals scored in the regular season.
General manager Jim Nill took some steps towards shoring up his team’s forward depth with the in-season additions of Mats Zuccarello and youngsters Roope Hintz and Jason Dickinson, but Zuccarello can walk in unrestricted free agency this summer and the Stars’ two youngsters have less than 50 career points between them. Adding a proven scorer like Kessel could go a long way towards boosting Dallas’ sagging offense and replacing the offensive contributions of aging veteran Jason Spezza and Zuccarello if contract talks prove unsuccessful.
Dallas might not have the top-end prospect pipeline of Carolina or Arizona, but they have several NHL-ready players who could interest the Penguins. It’s unlikely Nill considers moving rookie sensation Miro Heiskanen, but Ty Dellandrea and Jason Robertson, who could both make the leap from the OHL to the NHL next season, are both promising young talents in their own right. Add in AHL contributors such as Denis Guryanov or Colton Point, and the Stars could offer the Penguins an enticing return if Kessel is on the move.
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens may have missed the playoffs this season, but it was actually a year full of positive progress made by the Habs following a busy offseason for GM Marc Bergevin. Some may have questioned the Alex Galchenyuk-for-Max Domi trade prior to last season, but Domi set career highs across the board in his first season in Montreal and filled an important centre role that the Canadiens had previously lacked.
Adding Domi to the mix alonside 2018 third overall pick Jesperi Kotkaniemi, the Canadiens were able to consider the centre ice position a strength throughout the season for the first time in recent history. Along with a bounce back season from Carey Price and a return to form for captain Shea Weber, Montreal was able to make a serious push for the playoffs after finishing as one of the league’s worst teams in 2017-18.
Despite a career year from Domi, the Canadiens still had their struggles finding consistent scoring, as Jonathan Drouin failed to meet expectations for the second consecutive season and the roster’s thin forward corps showed cracks. Montreal finished with just an 8.8% team shooting percentage, a bottom-10 mark in the league, as well as a pitiful power play conversion rate of 13.25%, good for second-worst in the NHL.
After missing the playoffs in three out of the last four seasons, and with the biggest hole on the roster showing rapid signs of improvement with Domi and Kotkaniemi, the Canadiens could be a sneaky bidder in the Kessel sweepstakes. With a revamped young roster and some high-performing veterans with playoff experience, Montreal is a candidate to bounce back stronger next year and compete in the playoffs even if Domi can’t replicate his career-best season. Adding a player like Phil Kessel would be a boon to the Canadiens’ underwhelming power play as well as the depth of their forward group, as it would allow them to move players like Andrew Shaw and Paul Byron into roles better suited for their skill sets.
From the Penguins’ side, Montreal could be an interesting trade partner due to their wealth of nearly NHL-ready young players. Established NHLers like Artturi Lehkonen could be on the table for Pittsburgh, as could Noah Juulsen and Ryan Poehling, who are both former first-round picks who could potentially fill an NHL roster spot as soon as next year. OHL Playoff MVP Nick Suzuki would most likely be off the table, but the Canadiens have plenty of potential trade pieces that Pittsburgh could be interested in for any potential Kessel trade.
New York Rangers
Some could question the logic in giving up young players and draft picks to acquire a veteran scorer when your team is coming off two straight losing seasons, but the New York Rangers should never be counted out of the sweepstakes for any star player made available.
GM Jeff Gorton has done a nice job rebuilding the Rangers’ pipeline quickly following a string of success that saw the Rangers trade away every first round draft pick between 2013 and 2016. The Rangers cut bait on most of their expensive veterans, acquiring five first round picks over the past two drafts and stockpiling two more for this year’s class. Due in large part to the youth movement undertaken by Gorton, the Rangers struggled to score in a major way this season, finishing 24th in the NHL in goals scored.
However, the Rangers might be closer to competing for a playoff spot than many might think. Their impressive group of young talent, which includes World Juniors star Vitali Kravtsov, will get another huge boost with the second overall pick in June. The team is still backstopped by Rangers legend Henrik Lundqvist, and the future of the team’s goaltending looks like it’s in good hands with KHL star Igor Shestyorkin looking to make the jump to North America soon.
The Rangers were one of the worst teams in the league last season, but if they are as aggressive in free agency as has been rumoured all season, new Team President John Davidson could be looking to compete for a playoff spot as soon as next season. Adding a talent like Kessel to the lineup alongside Kravtsov and one of Jack Hughes or Kaapo Kakko could turn the Rangers around faster than anyone expected.
For the Penguins, who could still balk at the thought of trading Kessel within their own division, the Rangers’ stockpile of young forwards who could contribute sooner rather than later could lead to the most appealing trade offer of any team listed here. Lias Andersson and Libor Hajek, who have yet to establish themselves in the Rangers’ lineup, could be dangled in order to convince the Penguins to move Kessel. Other youngsters who might be pushed down the lineup soon, such as Pavel Buchnevich or Vladislav Namestnikov, could also interest Pittsburgh as potential breakout candidates alongside Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin.
While the Rangers may seem an unlikely trade partner for the Penguins, their abundance of young talent and lack of long-term financial commitments already on the roster could make them one of the best fits to acquire Kessel.
***
It’s not often that a team looks to explore trading a five-time all star with an exceptional history of playoff production, especially one with Cup aspirations like the Penguins. However, Rutherford has been anything but shy in the past couple of seasons about pulling the trigger on moves he thinks will help improve his team.
With cap space at a premium, Rutherford possesses perhaps the most valuable trade chip in the NHL heading into the offseason. It remains to be seen if there is truth behind the Kessel trade rumours, but one thing is for sure, he will have no shortage of suitors if the Penguins decide to shake-up their roster this summer.
The post Potential Landing Spots for Phil Kessel appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
By Jim Parsons on May 18, 2019 12:09 pm
In today’s NHL rumor rundown, there is news on Erik Karlsson and where he’ll land come free agency, talk about whether or not the Columbus Blue Jackets will try to find another goaltender if they lose Sergei Bobrovsky, and the Edmonton Oilers might still be a couple of weeks away from announcing a new head coach. Is Jeff Skinner ready to commit to the Sabres yet?
Rangers Frontrunners for Karlsson?
Chris Johnston said on Sportsnet 960 that the New York Rangers appear to be the early favorites to land Erik Karlsson in free agency. The Tampa Bay Lightning second.
The Lightning would have some work to do to make room but they have two things going for them. First, Karlsson would take a slight discount because of the tax situation in Tampa. Second, he has an interest in playing with his good friend Victor Hedman.
Blue Jackets Willing to Lose Bobrovsky
It appears if Sergei Bobrovsky leaves Columbus, the Blue Jackets are not only ok with it, they may not choose to replace him.
During an interview with Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, GM Jarmo Kekalainen indicated that the team is comfortable running with Joonas Korpisalo and rookie Elvis Merzlikins as their goalie tandem for next season He said:
It’s going to be a competition between those two unless something else happens. And if that’s what we have for our two goalies at the start of the training camp, we’re totally fine with it… “We have a goalie (Merzlikins) who a lot of people think is the best goalie outside the NHL.”
Oilers Coaching Search
New Edmonton Oilers GM, Ken Holland, told Postmedia’s Jim Matheson that he’s working off of a list of 12-14 potential candidates for the head coaching job. He said he has no desire to interview that many candidates but as he gathers information and listens to Ken Hitchcock, he’ll narrow down the list to those he wants to chat with further.
Holland acknowledged that it could still be a couple of weeks before they have their new bench boss in place.
Mark Spector of Sportsnet writes that the belief is Holland has already spoken to Dave Tippett and Todd Nelson about the job. But, “the already-delayed scouting meetings have put that coaching quest on the backburner for a few days.”
Jeff Skinner and the Sabres
John Vogl reports that Jeff Skinner’s agent said it’s too early to say that the Sabres hiring Ralph Krueger will mean that Skinner will remain in Buffalo. Meanwhile, Lance Lysowski of Buffalo News writes that Buffalo Sabres GM Jason Botterill said the team had been talking with Skinner during their coaching search and Skinner and the Sabres are expected to have more contract talks after the scouting combine that takes place on May 31st and June 1st.
Lysowski writes:
When Skinner spoke to reporters during locker cleanout last month, he downplayed the role the hire would have in his decision to return to Buffalo. Instead, he beamed when discussing the roster’s pillars, including Eichel, Reinhart and Rasmus Dahlin.
The post NHL Rumors: Karlsson, Bobrovsky, Oilers, More appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
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